Category: Photography

Last night one of my favourite live BBC Natural History program’s started. Springwatch.

As a bit of a very amateur wildlife photographer and part time birdwatcher (not a good one), it’s a very inspiring program.

Makes you want to load up with your big pro digital SLR and longest telephoto lens.  Lottery win needed?

It might have been a poor week so far for landscape photography but I have been enjoying a bit of Architectural, Flower and People Photography.

Here is a picture of Peter Ginn the archaeologist of Victorian Farm fame using an old forge.

The last few days has seen us trying to get some good Landscape Photographs.

We have managed to find a number of great locations with lots of potential but each day my landscape kit (medium and large format cameras) has reminded safely in the boot.

 

Its been a mix of wrong light, wrong time of day etc. But still even with the frustration of being unable to set up and take any landscape shots, it has still been good. Some of the locations and views have been truly great.

I just have to remind myself that many of the great masters kept coming back to the same location, year after year, after year, before eventually capturing the shot they wanted.

A lot of people have very strong ideas about street photography.

First there is the engagement aspect. Do you just walk up to people and ask to take there photography’s. I certainty do that for many of my street portraits.

Other photographers use a long lens and hope not to be spotted. Then there are those who get in close with either a standard lens or wide angle.

Shot yesterday with a Nikon 1 V1.

The type of camera many feel has a major impact on the type of street photograph you end up with.

The purists feel only a range finder will do. And a small near silent range finder being utilised with zone focusing is hard to beat, but does require great skill, timing and practice. The master of this being Henri Cartier Bresson, who used a Leica Range Finder and a single prime lens for the majority of all his work, the 50mm standard.

Today most street photographers feel only autofocus will do, and they use cameras like the Olympus Pen, Panasonic GF, and Fuji X100, to great success.

Recently I have been using my Nikon 1 V1 to shoot Street scenes of people, but the reward for the most dedicated of street photographers must go to those brave few souls who utilise Large Format Cameras.

Now if they can get good results, and believe me I have seen their work, the rest of us have no excuse and cannot blame our equipment in any way.

Shot with a Nikon D200 SLR.

The previous weekend it was wonderful weather, but I was stuck in the studio working. This weekend we hit the road with the intention of find some good photographic locations.

Of course with us having the free time the weather was generally dull and overcast. That did not stop me taking pictures but they are more photographic notes then anything more.

The best picture of the day was actually taken by Caroline, a rather pleasing picture of a modern stained glass window.

Hope you all had great weekends too.

As I expected the Internet forums are full of opinions on the new Leica Monochrom, as I and many other people expected most people do not understand it. Many experts do not seem to have any understanding of how digital sensors work and of the advantages that a Black & White sensor can give.

It’s going to be a difficult few weeks holding my tongue. Many photographers seem to lack an understanding that different tools can give different advantages. Small format , Medium Format, Large Format; Film, CMOS, CCD digital sensors, Mirror-less, SLR’S, Rangefinder. There are many tools and options available, just because a type of camera is not for you does not mean it cannot be the perfect tool for another.

The Leica Rangefinder is a niche product. A Black & White Sensor is another niche product, so what you have here is a niche within a niche, a camera that suites few but those it does suite will love it.

Well better late then never. Today I got round to updating the firmware in my Nikon V1. We are now on 1.12 for the body.

It was release the other week but only now got round to applying the update.

In many ways that’s a good thing. Never a good idea to be an early adopter!

This weekend I tried out a new local studio and did some Portraits for a client.

Now shooting for a client in a strange studio is possibly not the best idea but I knew the owner and had used his previous studio, so had a good idea what to expect.

The shoot went well and the studio while still a work in progress has a great white infinity wall that is perfect for fashion and portraits.  I’ll certainly be using it again.

 

Updated 13th May 2012

Well I was hoping for an announcement from Leica at yesterdays press conference of a new S3 to replace their stunning S2 digital medium format camera and with the date being May 10th i.e. M10 I was hoping the M10 would be announced.

Currently the M9 and S2 are out of my price range but a new M10 and S3 may have made the old version drop enough to enable me to consider one.

Instead we get the M9 mono, and the updated large sensor compact the new X2.  The X2 does not interest me as it does not have a built in viewfinder but the M9 mono does.

Many people will ask why?

Surely a colour camera is better and you can convert to mono and use the colour channels to customise the image as you see fit.

Well actually a mono sensor has a number of advantages, with no demosaicing there is an increase in resolution, the base ISO can be higher and again less noise at higher ISO values as again there is no demosaicing.

Until now you had to spend $40000 for a PhaseOne Mono digital back for your medium format camera.

For black & white enthusiasts this could be an amazing camera, for those after the ultimate in quality this should produce the best yet black & white images from a digital small format full frame 35mm sensor.

Is it worth the money well, for some yes, those who want the ultimate in quality.  For those willing to sacrifice a little in quality then there are far more cheaper options available.

Would I buy one?  Well if money was no object then yes I have to admit I would.  I love Black & White and this is the closest a digital camera has yet come to producing that ‘real’ Black & White experience.

Unfortunately, while I can justify buying high end Nikon SLR’s every few years as I can make money from them, a Leica M Monochrom would be for personal work and I could not justify the expense.  Lets hope in five years time or so a new Leica MM comes out based on the M10 and I can pick up one up second hand.  Until then i’ll produce my monochrome images using Adobe Lightroom and Nik’s Silver Efex Pro.

Reviews available from the usual sources:

• Luminous Landscape
• Steve Huff
• Reid Reviews (Required subscription)